This invention relates to a network interactive apparatus and a method for identifying a time variable data item, the retrieval of the content of the data item at different times and the presentation of the data in a desired analysis format.
Networks, such as the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW), and the like, provide a communication medium for rapid access to an enormous amount of information. Time variable data, such as commodity prices and futures, utility costs, weather, stock prices and the like, are factors that are useful in business planning. Currently available procedures notify a user of a change of such data, e.g., a stock price, or of its value or content on demand. However, when it is desired to analyze a relation between a first data item and a second data item, the user must go to different web sites to retrieve both data items and then conduct the analysis.
In the process control industry, it is known to collect the values of time variable data items (e.g., pressure and temperature), build a history of the values over time and conduct various analyses thereof. Generally, the data items and analyses are specified for the process being controlled. That is, there is little flexibility for a user to define data items or variables outside of the universe allowed by the process design.
There is a need for a system and method that permits the retrieval, development of a content history and analysis of one or more data items without regard to a particular process. Also, the system and method should not require a user to actively seek out different web sites, collect the data content over time and then generate an analysis.
The foregoing needs are satisfied with the method of the present invention, which utilizes a communication network, such as the Internet, the WWW or the like, to facilitate the gathering of time variable data items of any nature, building a history thereof over time and providing an analysis thereof. In an interactive session with a user, a first time variable data item, its location on the network and a sampling interval are determined. The content, or value, of the data item is retrieved from the network location at sample times defined by the sampling interval. A history of the contents is built and stored. A second data item is determined for a comparative analysis with the first data item. The comparative analysis is then presented to the user. For example, the prices of two or more stocks over a time range can be compared in a format, such as a graph, a table or the like. As another example, the price of a utility stock or the cost of energy could be compared to temperature.
The apparatus of the present invention comprises a computer that includes a program that performs the method of the invention. A storage medium of the present invention stores a program that controls a computer to perform the method of the invention.